


Two Years

by qingbizui



Category: R1SE (Band), X 玖少年团 | X-NINE (Band)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-21 14:40:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21076544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qingbizui/pseuds/qingbizui
Summary: Two years.Many things can change in two years.





	Two Years

**Author's Note:**

> A short, sad, but possibly realistic fic about the youngest XNINE members in R1SE and the future ahead of them. Written from Xia Zhiguang’s perspective. Sorry for the tears.

“I will miss you guys a lot,” Liu Ye let out an innocent smile. “Two years passed by too fast.”

We gave our last hugs and shed our last tears before sluggishly heading out of the building we called home for two years. Our home was now mostly an empty shell, but staff still needed to deal with the leftover takeout, cat fur, and balloons that spelled out “Happy Anniversary”—all temporary traces of us being here. The memories of our home were very clear to me.

The countless times Xiaowen woke me up at 3 in the morning to whine about Cement’s meowing. The emotional pep talks we had during our toughest times. The silly games we all played together in the basement with our pyjamas on. The time our wifi went out and Ren Hao had a serious phone call with our internet provider. I chuckled a bit to myself at how amusing that incident was.

“Got a lot on your mind?” Zhao Lei suddenly asked. I became so immersed in my thoughts that I forgot we had been travelling in the same car. The two of us, along with Xujia, were headed towards a small apartment on the other side of Beijing. This would be our makeshift home before we go our own ways at the end of summer. In the fall, I would have to finish up my studies at university and graduate next year. I had missed out on a lot since I was busy with promotions. Aside from that, I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to achieve for myself. 

“Yeah.” I replied without much thought to it. “I just don’t know what will happen next.”

Zhao Lei gave me a light pat on the back. “Life is unpredictable. Let’s hope for the best.”

I wanted to trust his optimistic words, and I knew everything would be okay in the end, but for some reason, I still felt disoriented. Not knowing what to say, I smiled at him and nodded.

I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket, and decided that maybe reading a few notifications would distract me from these thoughts. 

“I miss you already. Who else will clean up Cement’s litter box for me?” A playful text from Xiaowen. Not surprising.

“Let’s go for hotpot when you guys have time!” It was like I could hear the sound of Yao Chen’s cheerful voice lighting up our group chat.

“Definitely, as long as we keep He Luoluo away from the pot.” Zhennan replied.

As I was about to turn my phone off, another short message appeared on my screen.

“I’m coming to Beijing tomorrow.” It read. The message was sent from Peng Chuyue. He was the leader of my original group, and is someone that is like an older brother to me. Although XNINE is not much of what people would call a group anymore, our members still kept in touch often as if nothing had changed. Even though things have changed.

“Will you three be available then?” He asked. 

“Yes!” Xujia typed in his response quicker than Zhao Lei and I could. The three of us exchanged smiles; it was a pleasant shift from the grim mood circling us just a few minutes ago.

-

“I miss when things were simpler.” I mumbled, trying to stop myself from crying. “Why did everything have to be so complicated?” I didn’t expect him to share such bad news with me tonight. Even though this news was expected. I just didn’t want to think about it coming to life.

Chuyue looked at me with grief in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Guangguang. Please don’t cry.” He pulled out his handkerchief and began to wipe my tears.

“This doesn’t mean the things we’ve experienced were for nothing. I believe we’ve all learned from each other. Everything we’ve gone through has helped us grow as individuals. Don’t think of this as the end. This is not the end.” He encouraged me. 

Throughout the years, I tried not to think about it too much. Our group being torn apart. The struggles we’ve each had to endure. The brothers I’ve gained and thought I lost. I kept working hard every single day to make all of these experiences worth something. But now, for some reason, I couldn’t cope with reality.

-

Before I knew it, summer was over. Two months since both my groups ended. Our company never made any statements; only we knew the truth. Nothing would be made official until our contracts were up. It would solely cause more chaos, they told me. I understood why they made that decision.

This also meant we could still pretend to be together for a year, even if most of it had to be hidden from the public. Essentially, the eight of us couldn't be seen together. With our diverging paths and busy schedules, that was practically impossible either way.

In these two months, I learned to be stronger. More critical of my thoughts. More willing to accept hardships in my life. Since Zhao Lei and I were both going back to study in Shanghai, we grew closer over time. 

"I'm proud of you, Guangguang." Zhao Lei gave me a warm, comforting smile. "And I'm grateful to have you. Thank you for being there for me." 

Our flight to Shanghai was the most peaceful one yet. We promised to visit each other often and keep each other up to date. I also reminded myself to check up on Xujia, who had enrolled in Beijing Film Academy last year. Though I'm sure Zifan could give him better wisdom.

As I moved into my new apartment, I let out a sigh. Back to regular life as a university student. The only difference between then and now is that now I have more pressure from the public. I usually tried not to let public opinion or gossip get to my head, but this was a new journey after all. I had to be prepared for anything.

All of a sudden, my phone started vibrating. I didn't know what to expect.

"I forgot to tell you this, but check the front pocket of your backpack. I left something for you in there." It was a text from Zhao Lei.

I unzipped the front pocket of my backpack and found an envelope that I hadn't seen before. The envelope itself was blank, so I had to open it up to see what was inside.

There was an assortment of glossy printed photos inside. I pulled out the one on top, and it was one of the first group photos XNINE had taken together in 2016. Behind it was a short handwritten message. 

_Hi Guangguang, I know this isn't much, but I wanted you to have these. Things have been hard for all of our members, so I printed special photos out for everyone. I hope that you can always be your kind and caring self, and remember some of the great moments we've had together. Thank you for accompanying me these past few years. May our friendship continue to blossom. -Zhao Lei_

I began to sob. It was so simple, yet so meaningful. There were so many emotions running through my head as I carefully looked through each photo. Such pivotal moments in my life were encapsulated within them, from the smallest gestures to the largest accomplishments. Without these moments, I would not be who I am today.

Thank you XNINE. This is not the end.


End file.
